


Realizing a Bit Too Late

by QuanticQueen



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, M/M, Oblivious, Persona 5 Spoilers, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-15 21:33:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16071779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuanticQueen/pseuds/QuanticQueen
Summary: Ryuji has been Akira's friend since the beginning. He's his right hand man, the go-to guy, the shoulder to lean on.What if Ryuji realized Akira meant more to him than meets the eye?What if he's too late?





	Realizing a Bit Too Late

Haru Okumura.

Ryuji knows her as a rich girl who recently lost her father. If you were to ask him about her early on, he'd say he didn't know her, but she sounds cute.

If you were to ask him now, he'd say she's a girl you'll pity, although she has a tough life.. he hates her.

Ryuji can't even fully understand why he dislikes her. She's had a hard life- well, they all have a hard life. Akira especially. 

Ryuji sighed to himself and leaned onto his desk, staring out the window. He couldn't care less to what the teacher was saying, if anything it was probably just random bullshit. Stuff that won't matter once he graduates.

He folded his arms and rested his chin on his wrist, his mind trailing back to the puff haired girl.

* * *

 

_"... everyone got it?"_

_"Yeah."_

_Haru's brown eyes anxiously fell onto her lap. Ryuji understood the gaze and what lies in her eyes. She's hesitant to change her father's heart, he gets it. But she'll just have to suck it up. Things won't get better unless she does something about it. Of course it's a bit hypocritical coming from Ryuji, but he was recently taught that._

_Even the thought on who taught it to him made him feel happier._

_"hey."_

_Speak of the devil._

_Ryuji glanced up to see the frizzy haired teen looking down to Haru behind the big framed (fake) glasses. Haru looked up slightly startled. "O-oh, Kurusu-kun." Ryuji saw how Akira tilted his head slightly and gave her a soft smile. Haru's cheeks colored a bright pink and she looked down, then returned the smile._

_Ryuji knows it's a reassuring smile, Akira is just trying to make her feel better; but something deep down made him curve his upper lip in disgust._

* * *

 

Ryuji stood up from his seat after hearing the bell ring. He grabbed his school bag and moved his arms through the straps. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked out of the classroom.

He frowned more hearing some new stupid rumors. He always hated most teens his age, they gossiped about anything and always went with what was currently "in season", in other words, when their friends opinions change, theirs change.

He would've just walked past the teens, he could've ignored them, but he listened. He leaned up against the wall and listened to the girls talk.

_"You know what my friends told me the other day?"_

_"What?"_

_"She saw Okumura-san hanging out with that one guy! The delinquent? The one with all of the rumors."_

_"Wauuuh? Really? But Okumura-san is so.. innocent and cute, why is she hanging out with someone like him?"_

_"That's what I thought! But my friend did some digging and eavesdropped on their conversation. It turns out that they're dating!"_

That's not right...

If they were dating..

Ryuji would've been the first person to know. 

But why are they dating anyway..? They only knew each other for a few weeks, he knew him longer.. 

Ryuji felt his frown deepening. 

Haru recently joined.. she's only been apart of the group for a few weeks.. she's sweet, yeah, but her voice gives Ryuji a headache.. how can Akira stand her? Why.. how.. how did she waltz in and just  _steal_ Akira's heart? Akira is so calm, and poker faced, how did she..

Ryuji wanted to punch something, this isn't fair. Not one bit. He went to move off of the wall, but couldn't. He, for some reason, couldn't find the strength to move.

"What the-.." 

He cut himself off after hearing how small shaken his voice was. All of his anger melted into confusion. He felt someone tickle his cheek and brushed his hand against it, only to find it wet. Ryuji slowly brought his hand up to his eye and wiped it.

Why is he crying..? Sure, his best friend is with a girl he hates. But why does he even hate her to begin with? She needs so much comfort right now, maybe that's how Akira fell for her. Why is he even believing these rumors? 

Why does his heart hurt? Why does it feel like it's been ripped out? 

"Oh! Ryuji, there you are. I was-" 

Ryuji turned his head and saw Ann standing there. Her cheerful look, that he assumed she had, fell into confusion and even worry. "Ryuji.. are you.. crying?"

He dropped his hand from his face then stuffed them in his pocket and turned his head. "No! Why would I be?! Crying is for.. idiots.." 

Ann raised an eyebrow, obviously unamused by this. He could tell she's annoyed with him now, even without him looking. He can feel it in the air. ".. is it that obvious..?"

Ann gave a light scoff and crossed her arms, putting her weight onto one foot. "Your face is red, your eyes are practically spilling tears, your voice is all shaky and not to mention you look like your entire world ended."

Ryuji rolled his eyes at the exaggeration. Technically, it felt like his entire world ended, but it didn't. He doesn't think anyway. The sun will still shine tomorrow.

He sighed and turned away from her. "It's nothin', I'mma start heading home. See ya."

Ann frowned and watched as Ryuji walked down the stairs. "Something is definitely up with him.." she hummed. She glanced down and pulled out her phone.

* * *

 

Ryuji would find it amusing if it were to rain tomorrow. He said the sun will still shine. If it doesn't, then it'd probably mean the world is ending for him.

He glanced up to the sky. It was looking cloudy. Maybe it is the end of the world.

Ryuji looked back down and sighed. Maybe he can just-

"Sakamoto."

Ryuji jumped and turned to the side. Yusuke stood there with his normal plain look. Ryuji blinked then glanced off to the side with a small glare. "Ye- yeah..?" 

"I saw you walking from the station and I decided it would be nice to say a "hello"." Yusuke explained. "I also wondered if you'd like to accompany me to the diner. If you'd like, we can start studying, if not we can either have a small chat or simply enjoy each other's company."

Sometimes, the formality in Yusuke's voice makes him feel uncomfortable.

".. Sure."

* * *

 

"Takamaki, I have him."

"Are you effing serious?"

Yusuke grasped his shoulder and pushed him onto the booth seat, then took the vacant spot beside him. Ryuji grumbled to himself as he propped his elbow against the table and leaned into his hand. Ann smiled to Yusuke and thanked him. "Now, Ryuji." She began, gripping her straw and poking it around the ice in her drink.

"Since we are the few originals in the group who've been around the longest, we're more familiar with each other and can trust each other more, right?"

Apparently not with him and Akira.

"I.. guess." Ryuji responded with a shrug.

Ann slammed her hands on the table making Ryuji jump a bit. "Tell us what's wrong then." 

Ryuji blinked, then fixed himself with a sigh. "I told you, there's nothin' wrong."

"Would you mind if I called Akira then?" 

Ryuji froze.

Ann sat back down and dug into her school bag. "If it really is nothing, then I can call Akira here and we can all hang out. Maybe have him ask if there's anything wrong?" She hummed thought fully after pulling out her phone, then shook it in her hand as if she's taunting Ryuji.

"I... don't think that's necessary." 

"Then be honest."

* * *

 

_At first, Ryuji put all thoughts of Haru liking Akira in the back of his mind. It's almost impossible to not have a crush on him at some point._

_The Akira Effect as Morgana calls it._

_Put hers was much different than Ann's or Makoto's or even Futaba's._

_The other girls would blush around him and giggle nicely._

_Haru does blush, she giggles sweetly. But it lasted longer. She always smiled when Akira showed up or was mentioned. She got embarrassed whenever asked about him. Her eyes always lingered on him, in almost a longing and loving look._

_It wasn't long until Akira returned it. He doesn't blush a lot, when he does it was always his ears that were tinted, but now his cheeks color. His smiles got softer as did his eyes. He stood close to Haru and always kept glancing to her._

_In Mementos Akira rarely left her side, Haru took Yusuke's spot most of the time. It was rare if she wasn't in the line up. He constantly checked up on her. If we were ambushed, he always asked if she was okay first._

_Ryuji hated it._

_He's watching his best friend fall in love._

* * *

 

"Oh.. Ryuji." 

He sighed and shook his head. "I've been telling you it's nothin', I just don't like her for a stupid reason. And I almost hate myself for it."

"Ryuji, you need to be more honest." Ann spoke up, moving her straw around her drink again. "You wouldn't understand all these complicated emotions if you don't explore them a bit." Ryuji turned his head and gave a weird look to Yusuke. "Can you speak Japanese?"

"What he's saying is.. be more intone with your feelings." Ann clarified. Ryuji frowned. "I am though." Ann huffed, rolling her eyes. "Think.. differently about Akira."

Ryuji glanced down, doing as told.

"Ryuji.. you like-.. you  _love_ Akira, don't you?"

Ryuji would've objected harshly and say that it wasn't like that. That he was just upset Akira wasn't spending much time with him anymore. But he just thought more about the situation he was in.. 

"Then I think you should know that he liked you too." Ann softly told him, glancing away for a second. "But you were too focused on us girls liking him that you didn't notice."

".. and I messed up big time..?" Ryuji added, finishing whatever thought Ann had. She only nodded in response. 

Ryuji sighed and leaned onto his hand, running his fingers through his hair in the process.

_This really sucks..._


End file.
